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Arup and Thomas Heatherwick鈥檚 Thames Garden Bridge has been branded a 鈥渧anity project鈥� and a waste of money in the House of Lords.

The Garden Bridge Trust, which is handling development of the scheme, is currently seeking investors in the 拢150m project, which would span the Thames from Victoria Embankment to Temple.

The Treasury has already said it will put 拢30m into the project, roughly the amount of VAT that would normally be paid on it.

Speaking in the House of Lords yesterday, Labour鈥檚 Lord Davies said: 鈥淚t is a very expensive piece of public art, a vanity project of the mayor鈥攁nd we know where his vanity projects have gone and what they have cost the country.鈥�

He compared the scheme to the 鈥渞isible鈥� Emirates Air Line cable car over the Thames at Greenwich, saying the tax payer would eventually foot the bill for its upkeep.

Lord Lloyd said it was 鈥渨aste of public money鈥� to spend 拢30m on the bridge and there was 鈥渘o real need鈥� for another bridge across the Thames in the area.

But Lord Deighton, commercial secretary to the Treasury, said it would be a 鈥済reat showcase for UK expertise鈥�.

He said: 鈥淥ur brilliant designer, Thomas Heatherwick, is designing it, Arup is engineering it and Dan Pearson is landscaping the garden, so it will generate other future business for London through that showcase.鈥�

When pressed on why the Treasury had already said it would put 拢30m into the project, Deighton said that this was subject to the scheme鈥檚 business case passing the department鈥檚 value for money tests.

He added that it would provide a visitor attraction, a transport link and stimulate further development on both sides of the river.